My daughter Pennye gave me a Peterson Irish Harp 80s as a combined birthday/Christmas present. The photo doesn't do it justice:
There has been some discussion lately about the quality of Peterson pipes in recent years, so I thought I would share.
The pipe has a deep walnut stain, which does highlight the grain, mostly straight around the circumference of the bowl, and mixed along the stem. It does tend to be very light along the sharp edges of the stem and grooves. The Peterson stamping is shallow: appears as Pe rson in an arch with a very shallow "of Dublin" beneath. IRISH HARP is more deeply stamped below. 80s is deeply stamped on the opposite side, very clearly. The sterling band is firmly attached, bright, and the stamping is perfectly centered and clear. The acrylic brindle stem is also perfectly flush, firmly set, and has the attractive silver "P" symbol, allbeit with a portion on the tail washed out. The button is perfect.
Inside of the chamber there is a gray pre-coating. The air passage is a hair off center, and a hair above the bottom of the conical bowl. A pipe cleaner passes freely. The draw is free and easy.
I loaded three pinches of Sterling Old Dominion, gave it a light, tamped, and lit again. Initially, I tasted the tobacco, then picked up a chemical taste that I suspect was from the bowl coating, as I do not get that from Old Dominion in my other pipes. The chemical note persisted till mid bowl and faded, leaving me again tasting the tobacco. Shortly afterward, a relight was required, and I tamped prior to doing so. The bottom third of the bowl released the nutty flavor and woody fragrance that I associate with a good briar pipe, and it persisted until the end of the bowl. It cleared easily with a few bumps on a cork knocker.
My conclusion is that the pipe is going to be an excellent smoking pipe, and the fit is excellent. No flaws in the briar are apparent, but the staining and stamping could be a little better. All in all though, I am happy with it, since the smoking qualities are really what makes a good pipe.
Just as a side note, my daughter selected this pipe on her own, without any input from me. Out of 70 pipes, I only have 2 bent bulldogs, one Rhodesian, and 9 (now 10) Peterson's.
There has been some discussion lately about the quality of Peterson pipes in recent years, so I thought I would share.
The pipe has a deep walnut stain, which does highlight the grain, mostly straight around the circumference of the bowl, and mixed along the stem. It does tend to be very light along the sharp edges of the stem and grooves. The Peterson stamping is shallow: appears as Pe rson in an arch with a very shallow "of Dublin" beneath. IRISH HARP is more deeply stamped below. 80s is deeply stamped on the opposite side, very clearly. The sterling band is firmly attached, bright, and the stamping is perfectly centered and clear. The acrylic brindle stem is also perfectly flush, firmly set, and has the attractive silver "P" symbol, allbeit with a portion on the tail washed out. The button is perfect.
Inside of the chamber there is a gray pre-coating. The air passage is a hair off center, and a hair above the bottom of the conical bowl. A pipe cleaner passes freely. The draw is free and easy.
I loaded three pinches of Sterling Old Dominion, gave it a light, tamped, and lit again. Initially, I tasted the tobacco, then picked up a chemical taste that I suspect was from the bowl coating, as I do not get that from Old Dominion in my other pipes. The chemical note persisted till mid bowl and faded, leaving me again tasting the tobacco. Shortly afterward, a relight was required, and I tamped prior to doing so. The bottom third of the bowl released the nutty flavor and woody fragrance that I associate with a good briar pipe, and it persisted until the end of the bowl. It cleared easily with a few bumps on a cork knocker.
My conclusion is that the pipe is going to be an excellent smoking pipe, and the fit is excellent. No flaws in the briar are apparent, but the staining and stamping could be a little better. All in all though, I am happy with it, since the smoking qualities are really what makes a good pipe.
Just as a side note, my daughter selected this pipe on her own, without any input from me. Out of 70 pipes, I only have 2 bent bulldogs, one Rhodesian, and 9 (now 10) Peterson's.
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